Beau Foster, Whale Beach Wedge, NSW

Whale Beach (pictured here), at the end of Sydney’s northern beaches, is excruciatingly close, geographically, to Beau Foster’s house on the Central Coast. If a direct route were possible, it’d take maximum 40 minutes. But, since Beau has to double back and take the highway, the trip ends up twice as long. But when you can find wedges like this, the trip’s worth it. A trip that Beau didn’t feel was worth it this year however, was the one to Hawaii. He’s among the few paid surfers in the world who doesn’t feel particularly magnetised to the place. At the suggestion that it’s important for pros to go there during winter, he said: “Not to me. It’s fun and everyone seems to want to go there, and it is cool hanging there, but the last couple of years I think it’s eased-off a bit as far as all that goes. It’s too crowded for me, I’d rather go surf Desert Point or something.” So, where does Beau like to go? Next year, after doing a coupla pro juniors early in the year, he’ll do trips to Bali, the US, France and, contrary to previous comments, Hawaii.

But, more recently, what’s the kid been doing? Since his birthday in may, when Beau came of legal drinking age in Australia, a world of opportunity’s opened-up. “I’ve definitely had some fun since then,” he says. “There’s a lot more to do when you’re 18.” Like, running amok? “Trying to.” And, when did Beau last party? “I just went to Sally Fitzgibbon’s 21st birthday. We ended up in the Cross (King’s Cross) afterwards, but I hate it there. I’ve only been there twice and I’m already over it – it’s too full-on.”